India's 'Chase Master' Virat Kohli will be playing in his sixth T20 World Cup. Kohli whose Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise failed to make it past the eliminator stage would like to lift the coveted T20 World Cup trophy for the first time. The former Indian skipper has been a prime performer in ICC events and has several records to his name but the coveted trophy has continued to elude him.
Born on November 5, 1988, Kohli started playing regularly for Vishwa Bharati Public School before he joined the West Delhi Cricket Academy. After moving to Paschim Vihar, he trained under Rajkumar Sharma.
Kohli led India in Under-19 World Cup 2008 which was held in Malaysia. The top order batter was impressive with the bat scoring 235 runs from six games. After lifting the trophy in Maalaysia, he was among three players who were warded the Border-Gavaskar scholarship. They trained for six weeks at Cricket Australia's Centre of Excellence in Brisbane.
In the auction of the inaugural edition of the IPL, he was ignored by Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) and picked by Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). The Delhi-based franchise went for the left-arm pacer Pradeep Sangwan instead. Since then, Kohli has stayed loyal to the franchise. He captained them for over a decade and despite breaking several records with the bat couldn’t lift the trophy.
Kohli’s T20I debut and maiden fifty
Kohli made his T20I debut in 2010 against Zimbabwe. He scored an unbeaten 21-ball 26 in the successful run chase. His first T20I half-century came against Sri Lanka He contributed with a 48-ball 68 in the winning cause.
Kohli’s maiden T20 World Cup
He made his maiden T20 World Cup appearance in the 2012 edition which was hosted by Sri Lanka. He scored 50 runs from 39 balls against Afghanistan. India failed to make it to the semifinal but Kohli scored 185 runs from five games.
Kohli’s record-breaking run in T20 World Cup 2014
In the next edition of the T20 World Cup, he went berserk. He scored 319 runs from six games at an average of 106.33 including four half-centuries. He holds the record for most runs in a single edition of T20 World Cup.
Kohli dominates at home
He was in phenomenal form in the 2016 edition of T20 World Cup. He scored 273 runs from five games at an average of 136.50 including three half-centuries. His half-century in the virtual quarterfinal is considered one of his finest T20I knocks. He scored an unbeaten 89 against the West Indies in the semifinal at Wankhede Stadium as well but it ended in a losing cause.
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Dull end to Kohli’s T20I captaincy tenure
The 2020 edition of the T20 World Cup was postponed and played in 2021 in the UAE. Captaining the side in T20 World Cup for the first time, he scored just one half-century and India were knocked out of the group stage.
Kohli’s best T20I knock
India versus Pakistan matches are always high-voltage. After taking a beating for the first time in 2021 edition, India were waiting for revenge. But in the run chase, they were struggling after losing early wickets. Kohli’s unbeaten 82 helped India one of the most famous T20I wins at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). He scored 296 runs from six games at an average of 98.66 including four half-centuries. However, India were comprehensively beaten by England in the semifinal.
Kohli’s T20I records
Kohli played just two T20Is since T20 World Cup 2022 but he was in excellent for in the IPL 2024. He is the leading run-scorer in the format with 4,037 runs from 117 games at an average of 51.75 including one century and 37 fifties. He is also the leading run-scorer in T20 World Cups with 1,141 runs from 27 games at an average of 81.50 including 14 fifties.
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